RLSP leader Amit Kumar Bhushan killed in presence of police officer in Patna

Eyewitnesses said a team of policemen, including the station house officer (SHO) of Khiri Mor police station, was present when the incident took place but it did not act swiftly.

A Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leader was shot dead at Mera village in Khiri Mor police station area of rural Patna late on Tuesday evening.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj constituted a special investigating team under the supervision of city SP (west) to arrest the accused. (File Photo)

Police said criminals shot dead at Paliganj block RLSP president Amit Kumar Bhushan alias Tuktuk Verma, 35, and injured retired serviceman Visheshwar Prasad Singh, a resident of Dharhara village during a cultural programme.

Eyewitnesses said a team of policemen, including the station house officer (SHO) of Khiri Mor police station, was present when the incident took place but it did not act swiftly. The motive behind the attack was not immediately known.

Police said the injured had been admitted to Paliganj subdivisional hospital.

Tuktuk is the third RLSP leader to be killed in last six months in Bihar. Earlier on April 9, armed criminals had killed Manoj Mahto at Garikhana village under Khagaul police station in the state capital. Arun Kumar, an eyewitness of Mahato’s murder, was also gunned down in the same locality on October 30.

In August, two motorcycle-borne assailants gunned down Manish Sahni, a block head of RLSP in Vaishali district, as he came out of the BDO’s office at Jandaha. Sahni was the district president of RLSP’s extremely backward castes cell.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj constituted a special investigating team under the supervision of city SP (west) to arrest the accused. Political enmity seemed to be the reason behind the killing, the SSP said, adding a massive manhunt was on to nab the accused.

RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha visited his slain party worker’s house and strongly condemned the incident. He fumed on the “utter lawlessness” prevailing in the state and repeated attacks on his party workers. “This incident yet again exposes Nitish government’s tall claims of good governance. The criminals morale is all time high in state while commoners are living in peril,” he said.